1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for soothing and pacifying a crying or fussy infant, and more particularly, to a portable vibrating unit suitable for attachment to virtually any structure for supporting an infant for soothing the infant in the same manner as that which is believed to occur in an automobile.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Parents the world over are well familiar with the general discomfort experienced by newborn infants, as they make the transition from developing as a fetus inside the mother's womb to being a baby in the outside world. This discomfort, which typically exists for the first three to six months of the baby's life, is widely believed to be the result of the abrupt transition from the womb to the new environment outside the womb. This new environment is manifestly different from the environment the infant experienced as a fetus inside the womb. It has been found, in easing this transition, that soothing infants outside of the womb is of great value and can be achieved by creating an environment that simulates the conditions inside the womb. The most effective and practical way to do this is through movement.
As a result of having to make the adjustment to a new life outside of the womb, it is quite common for all infants to cry. It is these infants, that need soothing now and then, to which the present invention is directed. Colicky infants, who cry more than normal due to reasons other than a new environment, can also benefit from this invention.
Several attempts, therefore, have been made over the years to remedy to discomfort of these infants, especially colicky infants, and soothe the nerves of the attending parents.
In their most basic forms, these attempts include holding, rocking, jiggling, and cuddling infants in an adult's arm. Other remedies include the use of swings or rocking cribs, as pieces of "moving furniture", to help soothe young children. However, such devices are typically quite bulky, difficult to transport, and impart a gross motion to the seating platform or crib, typically requiring adult supervision during use.
Moreover, the effectiveness of these remedies is not always apparent. The disadvantages and inconveniences of such attempts are clear, especially when the parents may otherwise be preoccupied, such as in a restaurant setting. Other parents have discovered that infants, when exposed to the motion and vibration of automobiles, often seem to be soothed and relieved of their discomfort. Thus, it is not uncommon for parents to take uncomfortable infants in automobile rides solely to provide this relief.
There have thus been extensive efforts to artificially simulate an automobile motion and sound, such as that disclosed in Cuervo U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,096. Cuervo primarily discloses a child pacifying device having an electric motor mounted to a base of a housing. The device is considered to have quite limited utility, in that the housing can only be attached to the springs of an infant crib. Moreover, Cuervo further discloses and claims the need for a random noise sound generator providing frequencies between 200 and 4000 Hz at intensities of 60 and 80 db as necessary to complete the simulation of an automobile traveling at 45 to 55 mph.
Currently, available products in this art include the "Crib Rocker", a self-contained battery operated child pacifying device for attachment to the side rails of a child's crib for simulating the motion of an automobile. However, each of the devices suggest that the vibratory source must be combined with additional stimulatory sources, such as sound generators or a traveling sine wave.
Other approaches for infant soothing include Horton. U.S. Pat. No. 2,932,8321, which discloses an infant pacifying device comprising an electrical buzzer or small electric motor providing vibratory motion and audible buzzing. However, in operation, the vibration source is simply placed on that same surface on which an infant is supported. Thus, there was no solution offered which rendered Horton applicable to the wide range of child support structures available in the current market. These include, inter alia, child safety seats, rockers, swings, and the multitude of relatively lightweight child carriers now popular with parents. Moreover, Horton offered no means to reduce the harshness of the vibration or noise generated.
Thus, basic vibratory devices are known. However, none disclose or suggest convenient and virtually universal attachment to and ready removal from a wide variety of infant support structures. Further, none discuss or suggest an amplitude damping means in combination with an attachment means. In contrast, such devices are limited to use with a horizontal surface, e.g., a mattress. None suggest use of the vibratory unit with an infant support structure. Further, these systems clearly do not disclose or suggest any dampening means or disclose or suggest biasing means allowing for attachment or easy removal of the device.
Moreover, various mounting systems for attaching an item to a larger article are known. Virtually all such systems involve non-analogous art. Some systems depend solely on the force of gravity. Such systems typically lack a biasing means allowing easy removal of the item from the article. Importantly, none disclose or suggest the combination herein claimed. None disclose or suggest the use for a dampening means associated with an attachment means of attaching a vibratory source to an infant support structure. The present invention thus provides a great advantage over the prior art in an art where great demand exists.
It is currently believed that over 6 million total child safety seats were sold in the U.S. in 1990. Infant carrier safety seats, an example of an infant support structure suitable for use with the present invention, represented approximately 33 percent of the total child safety seats sold, or 2 million seats in 1990. The percentage of infant carrier car seats sold, as compared to the total number of car seats sold, is steadily rising. These seats, as well as other infant support structures, are popular products for carrying an infant because of the versatility they give parents and, in most states, due to automobile child safety seat use laws requiring an approved safety seat for all small children traveling in automobiles. These products, which are designed to accommodate an infant who weighs 20 pounds or less, are comfortable for an infant that does not have complete control over its muscle coordination. Additionally, there exist infant support structures which are not designed or constructed for use as a car seat, but provide the same functional versatility for the parents. These other infant support structures are also suitable for use with the present invention.
Thus, an effort was made to overcome the shortcomings of prior attempts to soothe infants and add significant refinement to the vibratory sources of the prior art by virtue of the utility, adaptability, portability, compactness, internal power, relatively low cost, and elimination of additional stimulatory sources such as disclosed and claimed herein. The desire to create such a child pacifying device, and the ubiquitous features of most infant support structures already in use due to their convenience, resulted in the present invention, where a simple pacifying device is adaptable for mounting and use with virtually any infant support structure and is thus suitable for all environments by virtue of its portability and ease of application to such infant support structures.